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40th PIF International "Città di Castelfidardo" - Italy

The 40th PIF International "Città di Castelfidardo" competitions for accordion soloists and groups will take place from the 17 to 20th September 2015 and a special feature will be, no application fee - it is completely free to celebrate the 40th Anniversary.

Entries closing date is: 25th August 2015

Earlier this year, the new Artistic Director Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi, pictured left with Castelfidardo Mayor Mirco Soprani, released the new 40th edition PIF logo, and the 2015 competition regulations. Download in Italian, English and Chinese languages at: 2015PIF

The competition includes solo, group and orchestra sections for different ages, for classical, chamber music, light music (varieté, folk, jazz, Latin American repertoire), and World Music categories which includes sections intended for diatonic accordions, bandoneons and digital accordions.

You and your harmonica in the most unusual location! WORLDWIDE

by Diatonic News

You and your harmonica – that’s all THAT is want. Be it on a backpack trip through Asia, on your vacation in the Caribbean, or in the middle of a desert. In fact, the more unusual the location is, the better!

What do you get in return? How does 1.000 Euros sound to you? That’s right: 1.000 Euros are give away from Hohner for the best photo and for the best video.

What are you waiting for?

All you have to do is follow the three steps below:

1. Take a picture or video on INSTAGRAM, with you playing your harmonica in the most unusual location you can think of, somewhere people wouldn’t really expect it.

2. Add the hashtag #EnjoyMusicEverywhere and tag HOHNER Music (playhohner). In the case of a video, just put @playhohner in the description.

3. Post it!

A five-person jury will screen the competition’s submissions and pick the two winners. It will consist of senior HOHNER executives and a well known photographer as well as an official HOHNER endorser.

Please note that the contest period isfrom June 1st to November 30th 2015.

2015 Summer Schedule of A World of Accordions Museum - USA

by Diatonic News

The summer performance schedule of the Harrington ARTS Center is listed below. A World of Accordions Musem is located at 1401 Belknap Street, Superior, Wisconsin 54880. Helmi Strahl Harrington, Ph.D is the Curator of the World of Accordions Musem and Lead Instructor in Accordion-concertina Repair and Technicians' School. The phone number is 715-395-2787.Email: accordion@sprynet.com

Playing Tango during your holidays - Holland

by Diatonic News

Every year Studio TangoMuziek organizes tango music courses in beautiful vacation sceneries in Europe, in co-operation with different organisations. At the same time Tango Alegre provides dance workshops.

Music and dance is central, so you can participate as musician or as dancers, or in a combination of both. Also the evenings are filled with dance and live music.

GETTING TO KNOW THE COURSES

On June 7th you can get acquainted with the summer program of Studio TangoMuziek, by participating in a ensemble. By playing together you can taste the atmosphere of the summer courses.

26th Annual Accordion Kings & Queens Festival Austin/Texas - USA

by Diatonic News

Sat Jun 6, 2015 - 7:00PM.Venue: Miller Outdoor Theatre.

Texas Folklife will bring its annual celebration of the state’s accordion roots music to Houston’s Miller Outdoor Theatre on Saturday, June 6, at 7:00 p.m. In keeping with its mission to preserve and present Texas’s diverse musical heritage, the festival will feature stars and legends in polka, Cajun zydeco, and conjunto.

This year’s accordion stars will include Debra Peters and the Love Saints, Jerome Batiste and the Zydeko Players, and the Grammy-winning Los Texmaniacs. They will be joined onstage by this year’s Big Squeeze Grand Prize Winners: Elizabeth Kelley (Cajun/Zydeco), Brandon Hodde (Polka), and Rito Peña (Conjunto).

One of the important ways Texas Folklife carries out its mission is by introducing the culture bearers of the past to the culture bearers of the future. This will be on display at the 26th annual Accordion Kings & Queens Festival as the three young winners from the Big Squeeze Accordion Contest take to the stage to play with these powerhouse performers.

Not only will the young players benefit from this joyous musical connection, but those lucky enough to be in the audience will have the opportunity to witness this generational passing of the torch.

See more at: http://texasfolklife.org/event/26th-annual-accordion-kings-queens#sthash.v9H6IDDe.dpuf

Haapavesi Folk Music Festival - Finland

by Diatonic News

Haapavesi Folk Music Festival is a special summer event held every year in the end of June, just after our midsummer. The festival consists of a five days long folk music course followed by the actual folk music Festival spanning four to five days.

The Festival was founded in 1989 and the heart of the festival, the Folk Course, a few years earlier in 1987. The program of the festival consists of high quality folk music acts all over the world. Most of the artists represent the Finnish folk music scene, but international artists from all around the world form an essential part of the programme every year.

The music from Ireland and North America is in the spotlight every year among music from other different and sometimes exotique countries and cultures. In addition, children haven’t been forgotten when it comes to the selection of artists. The programme consists of workshops, seminars and concerts in different stages, many of them acoustic.

Teachers of the Folk course come from Finland and abroad as well. The course offers the participants the opportunity of getting familiar with different music cultures while also providing first-rate guidance in specific instruments. The course is targeted for all folk music lovers regardless of age.

Children have their own teachers in the programme. The festival is organised by the Haapavesi Folk association with a small personnel and a large important group of volunteer workers. The artistic group of the festival crafts the programme for the festival and the course. See photos of previous festivals in Picasa – Haapavesi Folk Music Festival!

Program 2015The list of the artists 2015 and their website/MySpace/Facebook links will be updated here and to the ”Esiintyjät”-page during the spring.

Video: Andre Rieu & Carlos Buono perform Tango - Netherlands

29th Long Beach Bayou Festival - CA/USA

by Diatonic News

Long Beach, CA 90807

In its 29th year, the Long Beach Bayou Festival is proud to continue its time-honored legacy in the city by the sea.

The Long Beach Bayou Festival offers patrons a weekend filled with cultural music, cuisine, and dance from a place called ‘home’-- New Orleans and the Louisiana Bayou Country. We are excited to share the best parts of Louisiana Bayou and New Orleans Culture with Long Beach.

We invite you to delight in the specialties of Cajun and Creole cuisine and savor the many delicacies and flavors of the Big Easy. Rich in cultural music traditions, the Long Beach Bayou and Blues Festival presents a wide range of groups, featuring Cajun, Zydeco and Blues artists.

New Zealand Tango Festival - Wellington/New Zealand

Three days and four nights of world-class workshops, shows and milongas, plus tango immersion courses before and after the festival.

Take part in a wonderful programme filled with international masters, performances, special guests, and a few surprises packed into every moment of the eight day programme.

The festival week starts with intensive courses run by our international masters, held in the heart of the city, within walking distance from the festival hotel, with milongas every night, and the cafe district of Wellington right outside your door.

If you want further information view: http://www.nztangofestival.co.nz

Video: Tango Reaction Official Trailor - Serbia

‘Accordions at the Castle’, Blackpool – UK

This year’s ‘Accordions at the Castle’ festival, organized by Heather Smith (picture below left) at the Norbreck Castle, Blackpool, was a great success. The concerts were excellent and varied, and numbers attending the event were up on the last couple of years.

On Tuesday it was the turn of Steve Roxton, with a bierkeller type set, and Frenchman Jean Dauvin, whose musette selections on his MusicTech button accordion were very impressive indeed.

Wednesday’s concert was an Italian night, featuring a great acoustic solo performance from the maestro Giancarlo Caporilli, and a contrasting spot by Gennaro Ruffolo, demonstrating the sounds of the MusicTech. David Vernon contributed concert spots and played for Scottish dancing in the Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday concerts.

Thursday’s finale concert featured spots by the various guests, preceded in the afternoon by performances by the workshop groups: Buskers Band (MD Bert Santilly), Vintage (MD Heather Smith), Jazz (MD Bert Santilly), Orchestra (MD Rosemary Wright), and Scottish (MD David Vernon). Mention should be made of the excellent concert contributions made night and day by Harry Hussey, Bert Santilly, and Alan Young.

On Sunday, May 17, 2015 the Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society (WMAS) held its first “Button Box Extravaganza”, and it was a huge success!

The event featured several diatonic button accordions and these instruments were demonstrated by some of the best.

Joan Grauman introduced the crowd to the diatonic system of free-reed instruments and then demonstrated the one small free-reed instrument that is not diatonic: the English Concertina. She then introduced the presenters, beginning with Rik Kaplan who not only demonstrated the one-row diatonic Cajun accordion, but he also brought several of his beautiful Cajun accordions for a hands-on demonstration after refreshments were served.

We were then entertained by delightful, Washington, DC favorite: Silvia Eberly. Silvia played her 4-row Steirische Harmonika, a gorgeous Austrian diatonic accordion with Helikon “tuba” reeds in the bass.

Silvia played, yodeled, and then played a piece with Cody McSherry (on Steirische Harmonika) and Frank Vidergar (on Slovenian 3-row accordion). The audience was ecstatic!!

Then, we heard young Cody McSherry play – fantastically! His progress on this instrument is astounding, especially since he also takes lessons on the piano accordion, pipe and theatre organs, and he is currently starring in a dinner theatre production of “Les Miserables”.

We had a surprise performer. Casey Sutcliffe had not attended a meeting in a few years. When she came into the room on Sunday, Joan asked her to come up to perform for everyone. Casey played a beautiful Scandinavian Schottische on her 2 ½ row diatonic. Beautiful!!

Baltimore’s own Tony Murawski demonstrated the lovely Star concertina, a box-shaped diatonic instrument designed to play polkas. He played his gorgeous instruments flawlessly and it was a real treat having him join us!

Then, we were all blown away by the terrific Slovenian accordionist, Frank Vidergar. Frank makes his 3-row accordion do things the instrument was not created to do. He is amazing!

What a delightful event!! WMAS is planning to hold another button box event in the next year. Stay tuned!

Video: Sväng plays Kyytiläin - Finland

Sväng plays Kyytiläinen, (The captured passenger) played live on YLE tv1 April 12, 2014.

Sväng is a popular group of contemporary Finnish musicians who have now produced 5 albums with a range of music from folk to Sibelius.

ACCORDION weekend at the MAINE CAMP - CANADA

by Diatonic News

Accordions have been a part of Maine Fiddle Camp since the very beginning, but as Camp has expanded, so have the opportunities to learn accordion. As in the past, this year there will be top teachers on piano accordion for both August weeks.

Sylvia Miskoe, from NH, will again be on staff for the second August week, August 16-21, and Jeremiah McLane, from VT, will be on staff once again for the first week, August 9-14.

There is a multi-level and multi-faceted accordion track. Staff members Sabin Jacques from Quebec, Jim Joseph and Junior Stevens from Maine will handle button accordion in several styles including Cajun, Irish, Quebecois and New England.

Chris Brinn will teach piano accordion in the Irish style, and there will be opportunity to learn Anglo AND English concertina as well!!

This new weekend is June 19-21. In addition to this, Sabin Jacques will be on staff for the June week, June 14-19 to teach Quebecois style button accordion.

Take a look at this video of Junior Stevens playing the Galway Rambler on the Irish concertina, or this video of him playing the Collier’s Reel on button accordion.

Danças Ocultas & Dom La Nena - Spain/France

by Diatonic News

25.06.15 Givry (F) Festival Musicaves Dancas Ocultas & Dom La Nena

DANÇAS OCULTAS Four accordions from the edge of Europe

"Danças Ocultas" are four young accordionsts from Agueda near Porto who are among the most innovative and most exciting representatives of contemporary Portuguese music. For some years now they have been rising on the international world music scene – with an apparently very simple concept: quiet, lyrical, more or less traditional, with only four diatonic accordions.

Sväng is a group of contemporary Finnish musicians. The Quartet has paved its way into significant international actors. The band's productions are of a wide Sibelius's own compositions, folk music and jazz. The band's fifth album, "LIVESTOCK-LA" (2014) drew its strength from Karelian hevonhännän abrasion, jepualaisesta hyppymenuetista and Romanian street musicians, but also conjures up echoes from Sibelius, Merikanto and other national romantic composers. Cattle-La is in some places darker and more personal than the band's previous albums, but the familiar rhythms are still included. Folk is also in the Sibelius Concert and also Haapavesi Chamber Orchestra. Perhaps

CD/VIDEO/Book (New/Reviews/Presentations)

CD "Live in Scotland" by Tim Edey - UK

by Diatonic News

Video: Tim Edey Trio live on BBC ALBA plays The bass rock set. Tim Edey Trio play Cuz Teehans/The Bass rock (Mike McGoldrick live from Celtic connections, Glasgow and broadcast by BBC ALBA on christmas day 2013 for the series "Cuirm" Tim Edey Trio and Solas the Irish-American supergroup. This set was first recorded by Tim on his self released debut album "Daybreak" which featured Michael McGoldrick.

Exclusive new stunning “Live in Scotland” album recorded by the Tim Edey Trio for their Australian tour 2014/15.

Recorded and mixed by none other than top Rock/roots engineer Robin Wynn Evans (The manic street preachers, The View, Sam Brown, Dodgy).

http://timedey.co.uk/

New Book by Mark Söhngen - Netherlands

by Diatonic News

New bOOK By Mark Söhngen has just been released.

Many other books from this artist are available - if you want to know more - pls see: http://www.marksohngen.nl/Boeken.htm